Split needle assembly for catheter tube

ABSTRACT

A split needle assembly for the placement of a catheter tube in a vein includes a sectional needle which is split longitudinally into smaller and larger needle sections having complementary edges. A removable retainer at the base of the needle sections holds them together during needle insertion and withdrawal and provides a grip for the user. Once the needle is inserted the catheter tube is advanced through the needle into the vein and secured in place, after which the needle is withdrawn, the retainer removed, and the needle sections separated for complete removal from the tube.

United States Patent 1 Walter in 3,713,442 51 Jan. 30, 1972 [54] SPLITNEEDLE ASSEMBLY FOR CATHETER TUBE [76] Inventor: Harry J. Walter, 940West 100th Place, Denver, Colo. 80221 [22] Filed: Sept. 8, 1970 [21]Appl. No.: 70,001

FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 109,789 1/1968 Denmark ..l28/214.4

Primary ExaminerDalton L. Truluck Attorney-Reilly & Lewis [57] ABSTRACTA split needle assembly for the placement of a catheter tube in a veinincludes a sectional needle which is split longitudinally into smallerand larger needle sections having complementary edges. A removableretainer at the base of the needle sections holds them together duringneedle insertion and withdrawal and provides a grip for the user. Oncethe needle is inserted the catheter tube is advanced through the needleinto the vein and secured in place, after which the needle is withdrawn,the retainer removed, and the needle sections separated for completeremoval from the tube.

8 Claims, 13 Drawing Figures SPLIT NEEDLE ASSEMBLY FOR CATHETER TUBEThis invention relates generally to medical appliances and moreparticularly to novel and improved needle apparatus for the placement ofcatheter tubes in avein.

In the practice of catheter tube placement it is desirable to be able toremove the needle from the catheter tube after it has been placed in thevein and secured to the patient to avoid patient discomfort and/orpossible patient infection. Some attempts have been made to accomplishthis result by using a split needle which is divided along a diametricalplane through the center of the needle into half sections. These halfsections have flat edges and are somewhat unstable in that the halfsections have a tendency to become laterally displaced. Another commonpractice has been to form an open slot longitudinally of the needle topermit removal from the tube after the needle insertion and withdrawal,but this arrangement has not been entirely satisfactory.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide 'a novel andimproved needle assembly for catheter tube placement which is relativelysimple and inexpensive to manufacture and in which the needle can bereadily removed from the catheter tube.

Another object of this invention is to provide a split needle assemblyin which the mating edges are of a tongue-and-groove edge constructionto prevent possible lateral sliding separation during the application ofthe needle.

Yet a further object of this invention is to provide a novel needleassembly whereby a readily removable retainer for the needle sectionspermits positive gripping for needle insertion and withdrawal and isefflciently removed from the needle sections once withdrawn.

In accordance with the present invention, a preferred embodiment has asectional needle divided longitudinally into a smaller section and alarger section with the smaller section being approximately one-third ofthe total circumference of the needle. The sections have mating,complementary edges which fit together to prevent lateral orlongitudinal sliding separation and they are held together by a retainerat the base of the needle which also serves as a grip for the insertionof the needle into the vein. Once withdrawn, the retainer is removed andthe needle sections can be separated for removal. One form of removableretainer is a flexible, slotted clamp-like member embracing the needlesections with oppositely disposed, outwardly directed side flaps whichserve to clamp the sides against the sections when moved in onedirection and tend to open the slot for removal of the needle sectionswhen moved in the other direction. In another form the retainer isfrangible and radially split so as to be removed and broken away topermit needle separation from the tube after insertion of the needle.

Other objects, advantages and capabilities of the present invention willbecome more apparent as the description proceeds taken in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings; in which:

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of the needle assembly with the catheter tubeplaced in a portion of the needle with portions broken away to showinterior parts and showing the position of the needle and catheter tubeduring insertion into the vein;

FIG. 2 is an end elevation view;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the assembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an end elevation view of the assembly with the side flapsfolded to a clamping position against the needle sections;

FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional side elevation view with the needle beingshown as partially withdrawn from the end of the catheter tube attachedto the patient;

FIG. 6 is a side elevation view of the flaps being moved to a reverselyfolded position oppositely of the slot to separate the retainer from theneedle;

FIG. 7 is an end elevation view of the assembly shown in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a side elevation view after removal of the retainer showingthe needle sections separated from the catheter tube;

FIG. 9 is an end elevation view of the assembly of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is an and elevation view of the catheter tube only after boththe retainer and needle have been removed therefrom;

FIG. 11 is an end elevation of another form of sectional needle assemblywith the catheter tube disposed therein;

FIG. 12 is another form of removable retainer arrangement for thesectional needle; and

FIG. 13 is an end elevation view of the assembly shown in FIG. 12.

Referring now to the drawings, in FIGS. 1-10 there is shown one form ofsectional needle assembly generally designated by numeral 11 illustratedat different stages in relation to a catheter tube 12 for theapplication of the tube into the vein of a patient. The needle assembly1 1 includes a hollow hypodermic needle with a tapered end terminatingat a point 13 and the body of the needle is slit longitudinally to forma smaller section 14 and a larger section 15. The smaller section has aV-shaped tongue edge 17 which mates with a V-shaped groove 18 on thelarger section. In size the smaller section is about one-third the totalcircumference of the needle, making the opening through the side of thelarger section sufficiently wide to permit the sliding of the cathetertube therethrough with only a slight flexing of the tube as describedhereinafter.

The removable retainer on the needle sections has a.

butterfly-like shape and includes a slotted flexible hollow main body21, preferably cylindrical, having a pair of oppositely disposedflexible wings or side flaps 21 and 22 projecting outwardly fromopposite sides of the slot 24. The slot 24 is in the top side of themain body and opens into a needle-receiving socket area bounded byopposed sides for the insertion of the assembled needle sections throughthe slot with the inner sides flexing to pass the needle sections andcontracting to clampingly engage the needle sections. The outer surfaceof each needle section may be provided with rigid, raised serrations 25to assist in preventing sliding movement between the retainer on theneedle.

For needle insertion, the forward end of the catheter tube 12 is placedjust inwardly of the needle point 13, as shown in FIG. 1, so that thetube will penetrate the vein with the point of the needle. For insertionof the needle the side flaps 22 and 23 are grasped between the fingersof the user and bent toward one another in a direction to close the slotand force the opposing side walls against the needle sections in aclamping engagement, as shown in FIG. 4. After insertion of the needleinto the patients vein, the catheter tube is advanced through the needleinto the vein and the tube is then secured to the patient, usually bytaping it to the patient. The needle is withdrawn longitudinally of thetube, as shown in FIG. 5, leaving the end of the catheter tube 12 in thevein and secured to the patient. As shown in FIG. 7, the retainer isthen removed by bending the side flaps in the opposite direction awayfrom the slot 24 which serves to separate the side walls and enlarge theslot and the assembled needle will slip through the retainer slot. Theneedle sections will separate along the mating edges so as to be freedor removed from the tube as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, thereby leaving theend of the tube secured to the patient. The catheter tube may be made ofa flexible plastic and may be flexed slightly to pass through thelongitudinal slot of the larger needle section.

In a modified form of interlocking sectional needle shown in FIG. 11 thesmaller needle section has a generally globular male connector edge 31,and the larger needle section has a generally circular female groove 32.In this form one of the needle sections inserts longitudinally into theother and they are interlocked so they will not accidentally separate byrelative lateral displacement.

In a modified form of retainer shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 the retainertakes the form of a frangible body 35 encompassing the base of theneedle and is provided with a radial break line 36. This body may bemade of a foamed plastic or the like which will break away from therigid needle sections by severing it along the break line 36 after thecatheter tube is in place in the vein.

Although the present invention has been described with a certain degreeof particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure has beenmade by way of example and that changes in details of structure may bemade without departing from the spirit thereof.

What is claimed is: i

l. A split needle assembly for the placement of a catheter tube in avein comprising a sectional needle adapted to receive a catheter tube,said needle being split longitudinally to provide an arcuate,circumferentially smaller needle section and an arcuate,circumferentially larger needle section, said sections havinglongitudinal edges positively disengageable from one another, said edgesincluding mating male and female portions within the arcuate outerperimeter of the sections, and a removable retainer for releasablyholding said sections together along said interfitting edges duringinsertion of the needle into a vein and withdrawal of the needle alongthe catheter tube.

portion of said needle sections.

6. A split needle assembly catheter tube in a vein comprising asectional needle adapted to receive a catheter tube, said needle beingsplit longitudinally to provide an arcuate, circumferentially smallerneedle section and an arcuate, circumferentially larger needle section,said smaller needle section being approximately one-third of the totalcircumference of the needle and disengageable from the larger needlesection, said sections having mating male and female edges within theouter arcuate perimeter of the sections which fit together to preventlateral displacement between the sections, and a removable retainer atthe base of said sections for releasably holding said sections togetheralong said mating edges during the insertion of the needle into a veinand the withdrawal of the needle along the catheter tube.

7. A split needle assembly as set forth in claim 6 wherein said tongueedge is on the smaller needle section.

8. A split needle assembly for the placement "of a catheter tube in avein comprising a sectional needle adapted to receive a catheter tube,said needle being split longitudinally to provide a smaller needlesection and a larger needle section, said smaller needle section beingapproximately one-third of the total circumference of the needle anddisengageable from the larger needle section, said sections havingmating tongue-andgroove edges which fit together to prevent lateraldisplacement between the sections, a removable retainer at the base ofsaid sections for releasably holding said sections together along saidmating edges during the insertion of the needle into a vein and thewithdrawal of the needle along the catheter tube, said retainer having abutterfly-like shape with a slotted main .body having flexible sidesdefining a socket area sized for clampingly engaging the needle sectionsand flexible side flaps extending outwardly from opposite sides of saidmain body.

for the placement of a

1. A split needle assembly for the placement of a catheter tube in avein comprising a sectional needle adapted to receive a catheter tube,said needle being split longitudinally to provide an arcuate,circumferentially smaller needle section and an arcuate,circumferentially larger needle section, said sections havinglongitudinal edges positively disengageable from one another, said edgesincluding mating male and female portions within the arcuate outerperimeter of the sections, and a removable retainer for releasablyholding said sections together along said interfitting edges duringinsertion of the needle into a vein and withdrawal of the needle alongthe catheter tube.
 1. A split needle assembly for the placement of acatheter tube in a vein comprising a sectional needle adapted to receivea catheter tube, said needle being split longitudinally to provide anarcuate, circumferentially smaller needle section and an arcuate,circumferentially larger needle section, said sections havinglongitudinal edges positively disengageable from one another, said edgesincluding mating male and female portions within the arcuate outerperimeter of the sections, and a removable retainer for releasablyholding said sections together along said interfitting edges duringinsertion of the needle into a vein and withdrawal of the needle alongthe catheter tube.
 2. A split needle assembly as set forth in claim 1wherein said interfitting longitudinal edges are of a generally V-shapedtongue and groove configuration.
 3. A split needle assembly as set forthin claim 1 wherein said interfitting longitudinal edges are of agenerally globular tongue and groove configuration and interlock withone another.
 4. A split needle assembly as set forth in claim 1 whereinsaid retainer releasably clamps said needle sections together.
 5. Asplit needle assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein said retainer is afrangible body integral with a portion of said needle sections.
 6. Asplit needle assembly for the placement of a catheter tube in a veincomprising a sectional needle adapted to receive a catheter tube, saidneedle being split longitudinally to provide an arcuate,circumferentially smaller needle section and an arcuate,circumferentially larger needle section, said smaller needle sectionbeing approximately one-third of the total circumference of the needleand disengageable from the larger needle section, said sections havingmating male and female edges within the outer arcuate perimeter of thesections which fit together to prevent lateral displacement between thesections, and a removable retainer at the base of said sections forreleasably holding said sections together along said mating edges duringthe insertion of the needle into a vein and the withdrawal of the needlealong the catheter tube.
 7. A split needle assembly as set forth inclaim 6 wherein said tongue edge is on the smaller needle section.